Honours and awards: community

Age-Friendly Communities Recognition Program

This program celebrates and showcases Ontario communities that are taking steps to becoming age-friendly by creating policies, programs and services that support seniors. Awards are available in two categories to recognize the efforts and achievements of communities engaged in age-friendly initiatives, highlight promising practices and encourage knowledge exchange.

Category 1: Community Action Plan

Recognizes communities that have developed a formal age-friendly community action plan with community engagement and municipal support, and that have posted it publicly.

Category 2: Implementation and Evaluation

Recognizes communities that have demonstrated outstanding commitment to implementing and evaluating their age-friendly community action plan, and that engage in continuous improvement.

Who is eligible

You can submit a nomination if you represent a local government or a community organization that can demonstrate its local government’s support.
Nominees must be a local government:

• municipalities (single-tier, upper-tier or lower-tier municipalities)
• district social services administration boards
• First Nations, Inuit or Métis band councils
• organizations that have the support of local band councils

Nominate someone

If you represent a local government or community group, fill out a nomination form with your nominee’s information that includes:

• a list of members of the age-friendly community steering committee or advisory group (note: this must include local older adults)
• the committee’s or group’s terms of reference
• a copy of the local government council’s resolution, commitment or letter of support
• a summary of local age-friendly needs assessment process and findings
• a copy of their age-friendly community action plan
• evidence that the action plan has been posted publicly (Category 1)
• evidence of the plan’s implementation and evaluation (Category 2)
• a copy of evaluation report(s) or findings (Category 2)
• evidence of public reporting on evaluation report(s) or findings (Category 2)

Nomination deadline

The deadline is 5:00 p.m. EST on February 2, 2018.

Selection process

The Ministry of Seniors Affairs reviews all nominations. Applications are assessed based on the following age-friendly principles:

• participation of local seniors – older adults in the community are engaged in the initiative, such as being members of the committee or collaborative leading the initiative
• engagement of local partners – a broad range of community members are involved in the initiative, such as local government, businesses, community service organizations, seniors organizations, academic institutions and/or professionals from different sectors
• formal community commitment – measures are taken to sustain the initiative through the formal documentation of the community’s commitment to age-friendliness, such as through a local government council’s resolution
• scope of innovation – the community is changing how it delivers programs, services and supports to better meet the needs of its older residents
• measurable impact on the community – the initiative results in social and physical environments that are more accessible to, and inclusive of, older adults, enabling them to lead independent, active and healthy lives and stay engaged in the community

Award presentation

Communities will receive awards in spring 2018. More details about the award presentations will be available soon.

Eligibility

The person you nominate (the nominee) must be a resident of Ontario.

You cannot nominate:

• yourself
• someone who has passed away
• an elected federal, provincial or municipal representative currently in office
• a public appointee if their achievements relate to their current appointment
• someone for acts of bravery

Required information

To submit a nomination, you will need to provide:

• The nominee’s first name, last name, email address and phone number.
• The nominator’s first name, last name, email address and phone number.
• A detailed description of the nominee’s achievements.
• At least two signed testimonial letters. The letters must be from two different people who are not the nominator. An electronic signature or scanned copy of the signed letters are acceptable. The testimonial writers should:
  • know the nominee
  • be able to explain the value and impact of the nominee’s achievements
  • support the nomination
• The testimonial writers’ first name, last name, email address and phone number.

Additional information

You may include additional materials if they give more insight into your nominee’s accomplishments, such as:

• supplementary testimonials
• publications
• media stories and news articles

Deadline

The deadline is November 15 of each year.

How to nominate someone

1. Gather the required information.
2. Create an account (or sign in for returning users) on the Ontario Honours and Awards Portal.
3. Submit your nomination on the portal.

Read our guide for tips on writing and submitting a nomination.

Selection process

An independent advisory council reviews each nomination and selects the candidates. The Lieutenant Governor is the advisory council’s honorary chair.

Medal presentation

The medals are presented at a special ceremony at Queen’s Park, hosted by the Lieutenant Governor.

Previous recipients

Read about the previous recipients of this medal.

Eligibility

The person you nominate (the nominee) must:

• have contributed to the community after the age of 65
• be a resident of Ontario

Seniors who qualify for this award may have contributed to many different fields such as the arts, literature, community service, volunteering, education, environment, fitness, and humanitarian activities.

You cannot nominate:

• yourself
• someone who has passed away
• someone currently holding political office
• elected federal, provincial, municipal representatives or political appointees

Required information

To submit a nomination, you will need to provide:

• The nominee’s first name, last name, address, email and phone number.
• A detailed description of the nominee’s achievements and why they should receive the award.
• At least two signed testimonial letters. The letters must be from two different people who are not the nominator. An electronic signature or scanned copy of the signed letters are acceptable. The testimonial writers should:
  • know the nominee
  • be able to explain the value and impact of the nominee’s achievements
  • support the nomination
• The testimonial writers’ first name, last name, email address and phone number.

Additional information

You may include optional supporting documents to give more insight into your nominee’s accomplishments, such as:

• supplementary testimonials
• publications
• media stories and news articles

How to nominate someone

1. Gather the required information.
2. Create an account (or sign in for returning users) on the Ontario Honours and Awards Portal.
3. Submit your nomination on the portal.

Read our guide for tips on writing and submitting a nomination.

If you don’t want to apply online, you can download the Ontario Senior Achievement Award nomination form and submit it by mail to:

Ontario Honours and Awards Secretariat
Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism
1075 Bay Street, 7^th Floor
Toronto, Ontario M5S 2B1

Deadline

The deadline to nominate someone has been extended to July 15, 2023. Nominations received after the deadline will be considered in the following year.

Selection process

An independent selection committee reviews all nominations and recommends the candidates.

Award presentation

The awards are presented at a special ceremony in the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite at Queen's Park.

Eligibility

The person you nominate (the nominee) must be:

• at least 65 years of age
• a resident of Ontario
• a living person who has made their community a better place to live
• nominated by a municipality in Ontario

You cannot nominate:

• yourself
• someone who has passed away
• elected federal, provincial, municipal representatives or political appointees

Required information

To submit a nomination, you will need to provide:

• The municipality’s information, address, email and phone number
• The nominee’s first name, last name, home address, email address and phone number
• The municipal representative’s title, first name, last name, email address and phone number. etc.)

How to nominate someone

1. Gather the required information.
2. Create an account (or sign in for returning users) on the Ontario Honours and Awards Portal.
3. Submit your nomination on the portal.

If you don’t want to apply online, you can download the Ontario Senior of the Year nomination form and submit it by mail to:

Ontario Honours and Awards Secretariat
Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism
1075 Bay Street, 7^th Floor
Toronto, Ontario M5S 2B1

Only municipalities can submit a nomination. If you know someone who should be considered for this award, please contact your municipality.

Deadline

The deadline to nominate someone is April 30 of each year. Nominations received after the deadline will be considered in the following year.

Selection process

If nomination criteria are met, a certificate will be mailed to the municipality within three to four weeks of receiving the submission.

Award presentation

The award certificates are presented to recipients at a local event, typically during Seniors' Month in June.

Eligibility

As an applicant, you must:

• be registered, or plan to register, in a full-time graduate level social work program at a publicly funded Ontario university in the next academic year. If you’re a student with a permanent disability, you must take at least 40% of a full course load
• have demonstrated interest in and commitment to mental health issues through community service or paid work
• have demonstrated academic excellence
• have lived in Ontario for at least 12 consecutive months immediately before your registration in a social work program

Required information

In your application, you will need to provide:

• Your first name, last name, email address and phone number.
• A description of your qualifications for the award.
• Your resume.
• Your proposed studies and education history.
• Your official transcripts sent directly from the academic institution. Tell the academic institution to reference your submission number (provided to you after the application is submitted) in the subject line or on the envelope.
• An academic reference letters that include:
  • your full name
  • your submission number
  • academic reference’s signature (original or electronic)
  • academic letterhead
  • The academic reference’s first name, last name, email address and phone number.
• A personal reference letter from someone who is familiar with your community service or paid work that demonstrates your interest in and commitment to mental health issues that includes:
  • your full name
  • your submission number
  • the personal reference’s signature (original or electronic)
  • The personal reference’s first name, last name, email address and phone number.

Send your official transcripts, academic reference letter and personal reference letter by:

• e-mail to ontariohonoursandawards@ontario.ca, with the subject line “Hilary M. Weston Scholarship – Submission Number”

• mail to:

  Ontario Honours and Awards Secretariat
  Attention: Hilary M. Weston Scholarship – Submission Number
  1075 Bay Street, 7^th Floor
  Toronto, Ontario M5S 2B1

Additional information

You may include additional materials if they give more insight into your accomplishments, such as:

• publications
• media stories and news articles

Deadline

The deadline is December 15 of each year.

How to apply

1. Gather the required information (except for the official transcripts, academic reference letter and personal reference letter).
2. Create an account (or sign in for returning users) on the Ontario Honours and Awards Portal.
3. Submit your application on the portal. You will receive a submission number afterwards. Make note of this.
4. Contact your academic institution to send your transcripts to us by email or mail, and make sure they mention your submission number in the subject line or on the envelope.
5. Contact your academic reference and personal reference for their letters and make sure they mention your submission number in their reference letters.
6. Send your reference letters to us by email or mail.

Read our guide for tips on writing and submitting a nomination.

Selection process

An independent selection committee reviews each application and recommends the scholarship recipient.

Recipients are typically announced during National Mental Health Week in May.

Previous recipients

Read about the previous recipients of this scholarship.

About Hilary Weston

Hilary Weston served as the 26^th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1997 to 2002. The Ontario government created this scholarship to honour her legacy and highlight her contributions to the area of mental health.